I appreciate that. I thank the Minister for his kind remarks, as I do those of other Senators from across the House. This is much appreciated. This collaborative approach is something I am into in a big way and it is the best way forward. This Bill, by curtailing and restricting the right to cross-examine, makes victims more central in our consideration. In a victim’s consideration of coming forward to make a complaint or to testify in court, more assurance, greater confidence and some peace of mind is afforded the…

Next Tuesday.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 19 be taken before No. 1. I seek leave to introduce my domestic violence (amendment) Bill 2023. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 provides that in a criminal trial, an accused person shall not cross-examine in person any witness who is under 18 years of age in respect of certain serious sexual offences. Moreover, the court may preclude an accused person from personally cross-examining a victim who has attained the age of 18 in such cases. The court…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend and extend the Domestic Violence Act 2018 and, for that purpose, to provide protection in proceedings for the offence of coercive control against cross-examination in person by an accused person of a child witness or an adult witness who is the person in respect of whom the offence is alleged to have been committed and to provide for related matters.

Next Tuesday.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Improving individual accountability in decision-making at all levels, especially at senior level, is to be welcomed. However, I do not see transparency and accountability for the so-called vulture funds. The services of those loans are regulated. The history of the great recession is well-known to us all. Banks over-lent to the residential property sector, driving prices sky high. Increasing prices meant everybody was winning until the music stopped. House prices then collapsed, b…

It is important that the regulator consider this. If the regulator is unable to put manners on the funds then the Government should enhance any powers or the courts will have to put manners on the funds. The ordinary people of Ireland bailed out the banks and continue to pay for their over extension of credit, which damaged our economy and national life for a decade and a half. Through the good offices of various groups, some benign legislation and ultimately through the recovering economy, the worst of the mortgag…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Seanad inniu. I also thank him for his opening outline of the statutory intention and content of the Bill. The opening contribution of the Seanad by Senator Seery Kearney was comprehensive and I commend the Senator on her well-known, respected, varied and ongoing work in the area of family law and of supporting parents. I welcome this legislative initiative and am delighted that the Minister values it. It is very important on a whole range of fronts. For judges to be assigned o…

The heart of this is to be child-centred, which is very important. Perhaps on another day we could look at removing some of the legalese, to demystify the law, and to make it and the workings of the legal system more accessible to the people who use the courts. A separate building is so important for family law matters. I recall a couple of years when the Circuit Court family law sittings did their best at a time when the courthouse was unavailable and the court sat in a nearby hotel with a ballroom, which was not …

Next Tuesday.

The Green Party, An Comhaontas Glas, commends the Fianna Fáil group for tabling this motion and is pleased to support the motion. The Minister for Justice has previously stated that "there is no proposal to establish a specific unit ... the Garda Commissioner will always keep these matters under review" if problems got worse. It is clear that the problem is not getting any better and now is the time to review the situation. I hope that, by virtue of tabling this motion, which I hope has the full support of this Hou…

I would like to be associated with the warm congratulatory remarks. I offer the heartiest of congratulations to the Cathaoirleach and extend my best wishes to all of those leaving their posts, including Senator Mark Daly but also Senator Doherty who will pass on her position to a wonderful replacement in Senator Chambers. I recognise the work she has been done in pushing the boundaries. She has been a breath of fresh air. Despite the obvious strictures applying to the position as leader of the Government in the Hou…

And me. There is no truth in the rumour that we are seeking a refund for our education.

It was a privilege and a most wonderful institute of education. A little-known fact, not fiction, about our new Cathaoirleach is that he once helped Father Ted, who never forgot his kindness. Father Ted was a seminarian at Maynooth and on one occasion there was an important football match. Father Ted wore his glasses during the game and unfortunately a lens fell out. There was a well-advertised session in the local pub immediately after the game and there was a stampede for sandwiches, coffees and beer, but one pla…

Dynamic.

I join those commending the Leader on arranging a most appropriate minute's silence for the late Private Seán Rooney. On behalf of the Green Party, an Comhaontas Glas, I convey our deepest sympathies to the family of Private Rooney, his counterpart from Ireland who was injured and the other soldiers who are not from Ireland and who were also injured in the attack. We have praised the Defence Forces on a number of occasions in this House. We reminded ourselves that they put themselves in harm's way. I recall that on…

As always, the Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. As has been stated, Ireland has a community-rated voluntary private health insurance market, which means all people pay the same price for the same health insurance policy. The risk equalisation scheme is the mechanism designed to support the objective of our community-rated health insurance market. The content of this Bill, which is largely technical in nature, is to be broadly welcomed as a fair approach to health insurance provision. I will use som…

I welcome the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, to a particular seat in the Chamber. It is always good to see her there. She has a keen interest in the subject matter of the Bill. I commend the Sinn Féin Seanad group on putting together a most worthwhile Bill. The Bill further strengthens provisions in animal health and welfare legislation relating to dogs, in particular re-homed puppies that have been brought into the country illegally and have been seized at ports. At the moment, when dogs are seized by authori…

The language is interesting. We start with a “may”, as in “may have failed”, and then the “ordinary member may have been such as to bring the Board into disrepute”. Affording the chairperson the absolute discretion in one sense would not tie the hands of the chairperson. Because it is an absolute discretion, this person, who we would expect to be competent, can act and may decide in an awful situation to go directly to the Garda or may report it directly to the Minister, who is in a position to take action. I think…

It cannot be any worse.